France carries out air strike in Mali

In this August 31, 2012 file photo, fighters from Islamist group Ansar Dine stand guard in Timbuktu, Mali.

Paris - France's air force carried out an air strike in Mali on Friday as it supported government forces trying to halt a push south by Islamist rebels who control the north, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said.

Asked at a news conference whether there had been an air strike since France began its military intervention a few hours earlier, Fabius replied, “Yes.”

He said as far as he knew France was the only country that was assisting the Malian government militarily for now. - Reuters